Governments of Canada and Ontario Celebrate New Affordable Housing in Guelph and Wellington County

GUELPH, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - May 26, 2017) - The Governments of Canada and Ontario are proud to announce the official opening of new affordable housing for young mothers in Guelph and Wellington County. Michael House, located at 187 Bristol Street in Guelph, provides eight units of affordable housing.

Lloyd Longfield, Member of Parliament for Guelph, on behalf of Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and Minister Responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), along with Liz Sandals, Member of Provincial Parliament for Guelph, on behalf of the Honourable Chris Ballard, Ontario's Minister of Housing, made the announcement today. Dennis Lever, Wellington County Warden, also participated in the event.

Quick facts:

• This initiative will specifically provide supportive housing to young mothers and their children, adding to Michael House's existing residential program in Guelph for expectant and new mothers
• Residents of these eight units of supportive housing will have access to a dedicated support worker as well as the ongoing support of Michael House's caring and qualified staff
• One unit is accessible further enhancing Michael House's ability to serve the community
• The event also celebrated the affordable housing development located at 169 Gordon Street in Fergus, which received over $8 million for 55 affordable housing units.
• The County of Wellington contributed more than $5.68 million (TBC) to both of these projects

Quotes: 

"Our government is committed to supporting families and individuals. Affordable housing is critical to helping young families get a better start together. Increasing spaces helps agencies like Michael House to expand on the great work they do in Guelph. I am excited to see that our Government is investing in a National Housing strategy to help youth, young families and seniors" - Lloyd Longfield, Member of Parliament for Guelph

"Michael House does wonderful work in providing much needed housing and support for single moms after their babies are born. The housing in Fergus will provide affordable homes for individuals in Center Wellington no matter what walk of life they come from. I am very pleased that we can help fund initiatives such as these, providing the building blocks to not only strengthen our housing system in Ontario but to also meet local needs." - Liz Sandals, Member of Provincial Parliament for Guelph

"On behalf of the City of Guelph, I want to thank the Government of Canada and Province of Ontario for this funding, which will help increase the supply of much-needed affordable housing in Guelph and Wellington. Housing is the foundation to so many things - the ability to find a job, raise a family, and enjoy security and stability in our community. This investment in housing will have a positive ripple effect in all of these areas." - Mayor Cam Guthrie, City of Guelph

"Through investments in affordable housing buildings like Michael House and Webster Place, the County of Wellington is working to strengthen our communities and help individuals find and maintain safe and affordable places to call home. The opening of these multi-unit buildings will help meet important needs in the Guelph and Wellington service area, and help further the goals outlined in the County of Wellington's 10 Year Housing and Homelessness Plan." - Dennis Lever, Wellington County Warden

"Access to affordable quality housing is critical for the wellbeing of young families. Our agency, community and young families are grateful that the IAH funding was available to help build Michael House. We are seeing young mother's build a future for themselves and their children resting in the fact that they have a safe home that provides around the clock support for when they need a helping hand to be the best that they can be." - Rosemarie Coombs, Executive Director of Michael House

Associated links:

- Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) has been helping Canadians meet their housing needs for more than 70 years. As Canada's authority on housing, CMHC contributes to the stability of the housing market and financial system, provides support for Canadians in housing need, and offers unbiased housing research and advice to Canadian governments, consumers and the housing industry. Prudent risk management, strong corporate governance and transparency are cornerstones of CMHC's operations. For more information, please call 1-800-668-2642 or visit www.cmhc.ca.

- Investing in affordable housing programs is part of Ontario's plan to create jobs, grow the economy and help people in their everyday lives. Since 2003, the province has committed more than $5 billion in funding for affordable housing, which has helped support more than 22,000 new affordable rental housing units, more than 335,000 repairs and improvements to social and affordable housing units and rental and down payment assistance to more than 93,000 households in need. These investments complement the commitments made through Ontario's recent Long-Term Affordable Housing Strategy update, and support the province's goal of ending chronic homelessness by 2025. For more information on affordable housing in Ontario, visit ontario.ca/affordablehousing.

Stay connected:

- Follow CMHC on Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and Facebook.

- Follow Ontario's Ministry of Housing on Twitter.